


Soma

by viiaitch



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe - Robots & Androids, M/M, Mystery, Other, Philosophy, not sure what else to tag, there will be plenty more characters don't you worry, will update as I go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-04
Updated: 2018-12-10
Packaged: 2019-09-07 05:17:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16847866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/viiaitch/pseuds/viiaitch
Summary: "'Soma.' It's used in biology, mostly- the body of the neuron. The physical root of the building blocks of the mind. But it can also be used in a more... philosophical sense." Fingers, warm and textured and real, drum on the wooden countertop.  "'The body as distinct from the soul, mind, or psyche.' I think it's a good intermediary to use, personally. Something distinct from the soul and mind, but inextricably linked to building one up."





	1. Incunabula

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> wow i haven't written fic in ages-- i have some others published on another account, but i wanted a fresh start. so here it is!! my first *new* posting.
> 
> several inspirations for this- one big one is detroit: become human back when it was big (yes i am late to the party), as well as the fics 'artificial' by woodland ash and 'a heartbeat for a tin man' by noa (which seems to have been deleted ;-; ). also my general love of androids, philosophy, and biology o)-(
> 
> hope you all enjoy this self-indulgent thing and hope i can actually update this thing with more chapters sometime soon kjsd

Tap. Tap. Tap.

 

Forests and rice paddies give way to metal and concrete, dull gray overcoming the landscape, the train happily bumping along every little imperfection in the tracks. A small child somewhere screeches in delight at the sight of cars filling up the streets far below the tracks, before they get shushed by a slightly frantic mother.

 

Akira’s head pounds, and it even has the audacity to pound out of sync with the bumps of the tracks.

 

Tap. Tap. Tap.

 

Gray clouds compliment the gray of the buildings, and Akira can’t help but feel like he’s gone back into some alternate reality film from the 1920s.  _ Behold, the city of the future. What wonders of technology exist in this world of tomorrow? _  Not enough technology to make things look lively or welcoming, apparently. It’s all just gray- Gray clouds, gray buildings, gray people, gray eyes.

 

Gray. Gray. Gray.

 

Tap. Tap. Ta-

 

“Next stop: Tokyo. Tokyo. Passengers getting off the train, please move to the ends of the cars.”

 

Akira’s fingers still, startled from his inner monologue. Glancing away from the window and down at his phone, he hits the home button instead of abusing the poor screen further- it already has enough scratches on it without his fingernails trying to add on. 

 

The time- has it already been two hours? It felt like he’d only barely just sat down. But also kind of like he’d been on the train for an eternity. Must be that post-conviction haze or something. That’s probably a thing that exists, right?

 

Ugh. The pounding in Akira’s head only seems to increase as he stands up, shuffling along with the rest of the passengers towards the train doors as it slows to a stop. 

 

He’d never gotten a chance to head down to Tokyo before, even when he’d begged as a child- always busy with studying or small jobs or clubs, or his parents not having the time or money to send him away. Or, they hadn’t, until he’d…

 

Doesn’t matter.

 

Nothing before matters, because no matter what was in the past, he’s here now, and there’s absolutely nothing he can do about it. Not that he’s sure he would do anything, even if he could. Funny how a criminal conviction can so quickly show you how alone you really are in life.

 

Akira steps out of the train, breathes in his first breath of stale, city air, and enters the start of his life for the next year. He can already feel invisible shackles choking his wrists, an invisible tag branding him for the world to see.

 

Gray eyes meld perfectly with the cityscape, and Akira doesn’t even try to resist.

 

* * *

 

 

_ “So what’s it like, knowing how many human fangirls you have pining after you?” _

 

_ A chorus of equally embarrassed and excited squeals erupt from the audience, though they’re quickly quieted down by strategically placed staff and flashing signs asking for silence. The android only smiles, sweet and plastic, waiting for the noise to quiet down enough to answer. _

 

_ “Well, I must say, it’s certainly nothing I could have expected,” he answers, head tilting a few degrees to the side, eyes crinkling in a convincing approximation of bashful happiness. “I was not created particularly with the public eye in mind, so it took some getting used to. Now, I can’t begin to imagine what it would be like without them.” _

 

_ “I’m sure they all feel the same, Akechi-san!” _

 

_ The android simple holds the smile through the resounding chorus of agreement, oddly coy in how he moves a gloved hand to scratch at his cheek- all carefully calculated and perfectly timed. _

 

_ “I don’t doubt it.” _

 

* * *

 

 

Sojiro Sakura was about as welcoming as Akira had been expecting- which is to say, he treated Akira with the most thinly veiled contempt that Akira had ever seen. And Akira had been detained by the police and tried for assault. At the very least, the sleepy little cafe in the back alleys of Yongen-jaya felt a bit closer to home, a few steps removed from the endless concrete and glass that made up the other neighborhoods in Tokyo.

 

At least Sojiro’s introduction is to the point, even if it’s not very pleasant. Akira’s been feeling a bit overwhelmed by the sheer size of Tokyo, and while Leblanc isn’t home and Sojiro isn’t family (or even really friend), at least he’s not making Akira’s tired mind jump through any more hoops than absolutely necessary.

 

It still takes a monumental amount of effort to not roll his eyes every few sentences. He  _ knows  _ he’s a criminal now, in society’s eyes, but does every single adult he meets have to remind him of it  _ every chance they get? _

 

Even without the eyerolls, apparently Akira’s relative silence is just as offending. It feels like Sojiro’s frown deepens every couple of minutes and his sighs increase in frequency. Akira wonders how he’s even taking in enough air at this rate. He even moves reluctantly, slinking around Akira with movements like there’s someone standing behind him, physically pushing him forward with each step.

 

The cluttered attic above Leblanc is… something. Akira wasn’t exactly hoping for a five star hotel to be his room for the next year, but he was at the very least not expecting this many spiders and this much dust. He manages to force out some hopefully non-offensive comment on the attic (though based on Sojiro’s flat stare, maybe he didn’t quite say it sincerely enough), and then… an afternoon of cleaning.

 

It’s something to do, which is better than nothing to do, even if Akira finds himself sneezing, with eyes watering to the point that he can barely see by the end of it. At least Sojiro looks mildly less annoyed at Akira’s general existence when he comes up to check on him at the end of the day, even if said existence now consists of at least 60% mucus. 

 

"I'm going to close up shop and get out of here myself. I won't be the one looking after you if you get sick from staying up too late, you got that?" And with those marginally less reluctant words, and the vague, barely-implied promise that Sojiro would care enough to watch Akira’s health deteriorate further from this allergen attack, Akira finally lets himself collapse onto what will be his bed for the next year.

 

Not a good start.

 

But… could be worse.

 

* * *

 

 

_ Fake smiles should be easy to keep up when your whole being is fake. It must be a testament to his programmers, then, that the moment human eyes are off him, the facade crumbles away, fading to a blank expression. What would even be the point, of writing this kind of thing into his AI? Why not just leave ‘pleasant and perfect’ as the default? _

 

_ It must be a  _ joke  _ more than anything else. _

 

_ He’s been thinking, a lot of it must be. Androids might have been made in the image of humans, but they were still created to serve, so what would be the point in giving them these other, useless, persistent emotions? Are these emotions even real, or are they just a set of responses programmed into him, made in reaction to strange and specific stimuli? Is there really any difference? Either way, they only get in the way. _

 

_ The hum of the street lights and the distant roar of cars in the distance is all that accompanies the soft footsteps. _

 

_ A sigh unnecessary to any of his functioning escapes him. _

 

_ Humans can be truly... _

 

* * *

 

“...cruel,” Akira mutters, definitely not pouting at Sojiro. In fact, Akira absolutely isn’t pouting at all, certainly not at any cafe owners who he’s learned pretend to be a lot more gruff than they actually are, and certainly not about said cafe owners not indulging his rapidly growing coffee addiction with a fourth cup.

 

Sojiro mutters something suspiciously like  _ I’ll show you cruel, brat  _ before throwing a dishrag at Akira’s face. Akira, naturally, takes it with an equal amount of grace as he’s been taking everything life’s been throwing his way since he got to Tokyo.

 

He almost falls off his chair when he flails backwards, and thankfully for his already fragile ego (being arrested and charged with assault, amazingly, doesn’t turn you into a cool bad boy, Akira has found. It’s kind of the opposite, actually), doesn’t see Sojiro’s smirk.”Come on. I’m letting you hole up here, beter earn your keep.” He slips around the side of the bar. “Get cleaning.”

 

Akira rolls his eyes when he knows Sojiro isn’t looking, but is smiling as he starts wiping down surfaces, getting rid of coffee stains and dried curry built up by sloppy customers over the course of the day.

 

It’s only been a week, but Akira already feels more welcome than he can remember feeling back in his hometown in the last six months.

 

His smile drops slightly, but Akira catches himself before he can slip too far into his thoughts and memories. He’s not there, or in the past anymore, after all. He’s here, doing his… rehabilitation. Repentance. Whatever this is.

 

It’s already been a week when, scrubbing intently at a persistent stain, Akira meets his first Tokyo android. 

 

Well, ‘meets’ is a bit of a stretch. More like, ‘experiences.’

 

* * *

 

_A stimulus should always evoke the same response, when it's the same code reacting to it, the same set of predetermined actions following a set procedure._

 

_And yet._

 

_He can't help but notice how his internal logic changes. Artificial AI, emergence, whatever is going on-_

 

_It's detrimental. Why did humans build this into him? Why?_

 

"I don't understand..."

 

_ The sobbing is cut off by a muffled gunshot, the silencer not quite enough to stop all the sound. The android stays still after, staring blankly at the rapidly emptying body before him. _

 

I don't understand, either.


	2. Espy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow would you look at that, days after i post joker is announced for smash- i'm pretty lucky with my timing i guess!

The bell on the door jingles, but by the time Akira looks up, it’s closed and still, and-

 

Nobody’s there.

 

Akira blinks a few times- he’s tired from school and from lumpy futons an from rumors and from about a million other things, but he doesn’t think he’s quite tired enough for hallucinations.

 

Sojiro, from somewhere across the cafe where he’s putting up chairs, makes a sound suspiciously close to a coo, and Akira starts to think maybe he is that tired because- is it possible for Sojiro Sakura- 

 

Apparently yes, it  _ is _ possible for  _ Sojiro Sakura  _ to make little babytalk noises… if there’s a cat involved.

 

Akira’s not sure if he’s more confused at how a  _ cat  _ opened the door to a  _ cafe  _ or at Sojiro’s reaction. He doesn’t get to even wonder long enough to form a question though, before the stool across from him is filled by a customer a lot smaller than the usual clientele.

 

The cat meows impatiently up at Akira when he doesn’t move.

 

“You heard him, get the man some tuna,” Sojiro halfway snaps- it doesn’t really have any bite to it, and his tone is still probably the fondest Akira’s ever heard from the man.

 

“That’s why you keep fish in the fridge here?” He mumbles to himself, giving the decidedly smug cat one more confused glance as he steps back, and contemplates if it would be worth it to invest in a pair of cat ears. “Never served it to customers before…”

 

“That’s because it’s only for special customers,” is the reply Akira gets, and he’s glad he’s not looking at the old man because based on the ridiculous softness of that tone, Akira’s certain he’s fawning over the cat again.

 

Several more minutes of weird fawning from Sojiro and confused cleanin from Akira, and the cafe owner reluctantly makes his way to the door. Wow, he’s never seemed so reluctant to leave with Akira. Akira would be offended, except the cat, with his cute little tuxedo patterned coat, grew on him almost disgustingly quickly.

 

“Make sure to let him out before you head up,” Sojiro warns, coat tucked under his arm as he steps out. “And clean up his plate too.” Akira nods, already thoroughly enamoured with flicking the cat’s ears. Sojiro just sighs. It’s a good thing Akira isn’t looking, since Sojiro’s reputation for being a strict guardian would be ruined if Akira saw the small smile on his face.

 

* * *

  
  


_ Late night work isn’t a problem with eyes as sensitive to a wide visible spectrum as his. He wonders, sometimes, how humans handle doing anything at night, how blackouts don’t just destroy cities instead of cause minor inconveniences. For as unfathomable as humans can be, he has to at least grudgingly respect the beings that created him. _

 

_ Grudgingly. _

 

_ The android returns from his inner musings in time to nod complacently, accepting the file handed to him, before stepping out into the night, streets already mostly empty. _

 

_ He opens the cover, eyes easily taking in the information even in the dim light. _

 

_ It’s a good thing, his eyes, he thinks, closing the folder and heading towards the train station, noting the dark clouds blocking out even the dim light of the moon. He wouldn’t be nearly as efficient if he had only human eyes. _

 

* * *

 

 

Akira is staring at the cat, preening himself on one of the stools, up until he hears the first crack of thunder. They both glance towards the front of the shop, just in time to see sheets of rain crashing down on the pavement.

 

Right, the news said something about a storm warning earlier, didn’t it?

 

“...Sojiro wouldn’t mind if you stayed in for the night,” Akira decides, reaching out to boop the cat’s nose, only barely dodging the claws that slash at him for his audacity. “You’d be miserable out there.”

 

Pushing back from where he’d been leaning on the bar, Akira scoops up the cat, which seems to be staring almost contemplatively at the storefront.  _ Cute, he thinks he’s a people. _

 

He gets a few claws for his trouble, but it’s a cat. It’s not difficult to bring him up one flight of stairs, and while Akira is sure Sojiro won’t mind him being up with Akira, leaving him unsupervised down in the cafe all night is another thing. He’s not sure if property destruction via cat negligence is a criminal charge but he’s not willing to find out.

 

It’s only when he’s up and about to toss his angry ball of fur onto his bed that Akira notices…

 

That’s not meowing he’s hearing.

 

It’s not hissing earlier.

 

Akira must be a lot more tired than he had realized because-

 

“Get your hands  _ off of me, I swear-” _

 

Talking.

 

Akira drops the cat, who whirls around indignantly before catching sight of Akira’s expression. Akira didn’t know cats could be this expressive, but Akira also didn’t know  _ apparently cats can talk. _

 

“...crap.” Definitely the cat talking.

 

Sometimes, Akira hates Tokyo.

 

The first thought that runs through Akira’s mind is  _ android?  _ Except, no, he saw the cat eating. He  _ fed  _ the cat. The cat ate. Androids don’t need to eat, Akira doesn’t know a lot about them past their slow growing popularity in big cities, but he’s pretty sure most probably  _ can’t  _ eat. Wouldn’t that clog up the systems?

 

But cats also don’t talk, so Akira’s a bit lost.

 

Maybe it’s a big prank? He hasn’t met too many people in Tokyo yet, but maybe that Ryuji who’s been hanging around him at school is pulling something.

 

“...are you even listening to me?” The cat’s still talking. Has been talking. Akira is still deeply confused and worried for his health. “Argh, come on, it’s not that weird!”

 

A quick battering of paws- thankfully without claws- gets Akira to snap out of his inner world.

 

It’s weird, but, well. Lots of Tokyo is.

 

“...you’re a cat. H-”

 

“I am  _ not a cat. _ ” The response cuts Akira off, so, wisely, he shuts up and lets the not cat speak. “I’m an android. And  _ no  _ this is not my normal body, I’m in this cat frame only temporarily. I am  _ not  _ a pet model.” Akira nods, which seems to please the- android.

 

Akira realizes Sojiro must not know. The cat only seemed to talk when he was getting- emotional. Another oddity- aren’t androids supposed to be calm? Not that Akira’s interracted with any apart from the ones set up in convenience stores.

 

“My  _ name,  _ by the way, is Morgana,” the cat continues, undisturbed by Akira’s mounting confusion. “Since you’re obviously too awed by my presence to speak.” 

 

Akira nods again. The not-cat looks smug.

 

“You should be honored, by the way. Usually I have to be covert in my operations, but I’ve decided to trust you-” Didn’t he accidentally give himself away because Akira annoyed him? “-with my  _ real  _ identity. You see, I’m searching for a certain trea-”

 

“How did you eat?” Akira can’t help but cut in, because it’s really,  _ really  _ bothering him. Morgana looks annoyed for a moment, before puffing himself up in something like pride, and Akira knows he’s in for a long lecture.

 

“Well, you see, I’m not just any-”

 

* * *

 

 

_ “...ordinary android.” Detective Saito pauses, setting down the disembodied torso module he had been inspecting. He glances at the whole android stading patiently to the side- the android can see how his mouth thins, shoulders tense when he looks his way. “Was one of those newer models used in the clubs, supposed to be more lifelike.” _

 

_ The android nods in agreement, and if he were human, might have showed some kind of impatient tell. He had just been planning on going in to the station, shred and burn the documents, retrieve the briefcase he’d been told to find, and go. He hadn’t anticipated anyone to still be working. _

 

_ Humans are annoying. Illogical. _

 

_ The android resists the urge to sigh, and can’t help but wonder why the urge even exists within him in the first place. _

 

_ “Indeed,” he agrees smoothly, none of his thoughts showing through to his voice. “She was likely a victim of some jealous lover, the newer models posing more of a danger to human relationships.” _

 

_ The detective’s mouth twists, something dark and amused entering his expression. “You better be careful a jealous human doesn’t do you in, huh? Don’t want to pose a danger to anyone.” _

 

_ The android does’t know if the human is threatening him, making an innuendo, or implying something else. He doesn’t care, apart from his growing annoyance and impatience. Annoying emotions, not useful in the least. _

 

Humans _ are annoying. _

  
  


* * *

 

 

“...which is why I not only  _ can  _ eat, but  _ need  _ to. But not as much as you pure organic beings,” Morgana finishes. Akira had long since changed into night wear and flopped on to his bed, which didn’t deter the  _ ‘next-generation bio hybrid android’ _ in the least. The cat’s a pure exposition machine, Akira wishes he could have just skipped past the confusing specifics and just heard the point of ‘android with some super advanced AI and living parts, somehow.’

 

“Do super special androids also need to sleep?” Akira can’t help but mutter, letting out a soft grunt when Morgana decides to move from his place by Akira’s pillow to settle on Akira’s stomach.

 

Morgana rolls his eyes, and it’s sort of weird to see on a cat face, but Akira’s getting used to it. Android cats with real, organic fur that can talk and roll their eyes, why not?

 

“Ugh, just go to sleep, if you’re so tired,” he huffs, though he doesn’t sound angry in the least. Maybe just teasing. “ _ Humans.”  _ Akira huffs out a breath of air, not quite a laugh.

 

He thinks maybe he should be taking this… worse, in a more confused manner, but really. All of Tokyo is so different and confusing, why not this too? Everything is different from back home anyway, what’s a few more things?

 

He falls asleep with a weight on his chest, Morgana curled up and watching the rain fall outside of Akira’s window.

  
  


* * *

 

 

‘He revealed himself. It looks like things are progressing faster than expected.’

 

No response, not that it had been expecting one. Now is a time of waiting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wonder who thought the android akira would be meeting would be goro. nnnnnnope, i write at a snail's pace ahahah i need to get back into the rhythm of writing, get used to pacing things out and all
> 
> next chapter should have some more characters- was going to continue but i reached my five page goal and it was an ok stopping point. i do like leaving chapters with confusing foreshadowing-
> 
> biohybrid robots are a real thing btw! mine aren't quite like what we have today, but the merging of biological tissues and mechanical pieces to form working robots is a very real field. science fiction is alive and i love it


End file.
